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In the News

RCN: Bring back State Enrolled Nurses? - The Royal College of Nursing has committed to play its part in supporting nurse education, following the publication of a report by the Willis Commission on Nursing Education. The report, Quality with Compassion: The Future of Nursing Education, was based on more than 6 months’ work and contains evidence from patients, academics, students & other experts.

Speaking on behalf of the RCN, Dr Carter committed said: ….. “Improvements will need to be made to the profession in the future, notably in the regulation of health care assistants and the need to make all student placements match the very best. However, the evidence in this report makes it very clear – the way to do this is to continue with nursing as an all-graduate profession".

The College supported the commission’s recommendations on the regulation of health care assistants, the closer involvement of the public & patients in nursing education, and the importance of continuing professional development in maintaining a workforce which is safe, qualified & adaptable for the needs of the future.

PC&PE: If 80% is avoidable, wouldn’t it pay to avoid most of it? - The Commons Committee of Public Accounts has published its Report: The management of adult diabetes services in the NHS. The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the CPA, said: "24,000 people die prematurely every year because their diabetes has not been managed effectively, and many more develop avoidable complications such as blindness and kidney disease.

The NHS spends at least £3.9bn a year on diabetes services and around 80% of that goes on treating avoidable complications. The number of people with diabetes is set to rise from 3.1m to 3.8m between now and 2020 and unless care improves significantly the NHS will face ever-increasing costs”.

TUC: Part of a ‘It should always pay to be in work’ policy? - The TUC has welcomed the announcement from the Living Wage Foundation and the Greater London Authority (GLA) that the guideline rate for the living wage is to rise, but warned that too few large employers are paying the new rate, despite having the resources to do so.

The TUC added that paying the living wage is in the interests of employers, as it improves staff motivation and productivity, and enhances corporate reputations.

MoD: A cut price Armed Forces, or facing financial reality? - Measures to overhaul Britain's Reserve Forces to create a ‘fully integrated Armed Forces’ were unveiled last week as part of a wide-ranging consultation published by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond.

The consultation, 'Future Reserves 2020: Delivering the Nation's Security Together', proposes more training for reservists, a 'kitemark-type' award for supportive employers, and the idea of changing the Territorial Army's name to reflect their enhanced role.

Under the proposals employers will be given more certainty about the timing of possible mobilisations and more notice when they occur. The consultation will close on 18 January 2013.

AC: A never ending problem - A new report on local government fraud says that councils are targeting their investigative resources more efficiently & effectively, detecting more than 124,000 cases of fraud in 2011/12 totalling £179 million. But it urges them not to drop their guard, as new frauds are emerging in areas such as business rates, Right to Buy housing discounts and schools.

SOCA: Phillip Schofield please note - The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and the police & other relevant agencies, under the direction of Keith Bristow, Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA), are carrying out a review & potentially an investigation, into ‘new allegations of historic child sexual abuse at children’s homes in North Wales, as well as a review of historic investigations’.

If you have been a victim of child abuse or you have other relevant information to share you can report this to the NSPCC (see press release for details).

Thought paper: - Making Government ‘Digital By Default’ – Overcoming the Barriers to Public Sector Channel Shift - Making government services digital by default came a step closer to reality with last week's publication of the Government Digital Strategy and Digital Efficiency report by the Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude.

The Digital Strategy sets out how the Government can make up to £1.2 billion worth of savings by 2015 simply by making everyday transactions digital and developing online, web self-service delivery channels.

With government handling over a billion different transactions every year through 650 different services, the cost-saving potential of shifting to self-service channels is enormous.

Against this backdrop, a recent paper, ‘Overcoming the Barriers to Public Sector Channel Shift’ outlines the trends behind channel shift and takes a look at the key barriers to a smooth implementation, most notably the difficulties of integration and security.

Click here to download a free copy of the paper, along with a cutting edge web self-service case study.

Please note that previously published newsletters can be accessed from the Newsletter Archive